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Conditional use permit for basement apartment denied

GLENWOOD CITY — The City Council unanimously voted to deny a conditional use permit to allow for a basement apartment in a commercially zoned building on Oak Street.

This action was held at a special meeting of the City Council and the City’s Planning Commission Monday evening, April 10th. At question was to allow the basement area of two store spaces on the south side of the first block of Oak Street to become an apartment.

The two stores have a common basement and have two sets of stairs to the outside at the rear of the building. Timothy Jewell made the application to allow that use under the Conditional Use Permit, because the area is zoned commercial and the use of it as a residential space is not allowed.

But during the almost-hour discussion between Jewell, the City Council and members of the City’s Planning Commission, it was learned that Jewell has living quarters in that basement and has for some three years.

Apparently, Jewell was issued a citation by the police department for violation of the local ordinance and has received more than one, since each day that it is occupied is viewed as a separate violation. Each violation carries a two hundred dollar fine.

Members of the Planning Commission were concerned about if the basement apartment met state fire and building codes. But city attorney Autumn Lindquist suggested that they should first determine if they were going to allow it to be used as a living quarters and then look at the codes.

After the long discussion, Planning Commission member Craig Anderson moved for a vote on approval of the Permit. But none of the six-member commission voted to approve the request and then the question was forwarded to the City Council, where council member Ben DeGross moved to deny the application and all members of the council voted to deny it.

This vote apparently gives Jewell some 30 days to vacate the property.